Saturday, January 14, 2012

Just the other day, while reading The Times, I saw a picture-A couple (heterosexual) locked in a passionate embrace on the bare tar of a road. They were oblivious to the backdrop of orange flares. Yes, these two lovebirds in the midst of the Syrian protests-cute.Well, everyone at this end has been so serious. I go through the updates on my BBM and its one chart or the other showing comparative fuel prices and the like. Well, me too I’ve written my fair share on the matter-serious articles. Today, I thought ‘What if the subsidy isn’t restored; what would I do? In what ways would I change my present behaviours and attitudes’? This thought made me chuckle out loud and I decided to share.

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

Oluremi Tinubu, a senator and wife of leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria,Bola Tinubu, and four other senators escaped death by the whiskers in Ibadan on Wednesday after angry mob attacked their convoy.

The senators were travelling by road, led by police escorts, following the grounding of flights in airports across the country as a result of the strike declared by labour unions to protest government’s cut of subsidy on fuel.

According to an eyewitness, the mob damaged five cars belonging to the senators, including police escort vans leading the convoy.

Waoh! Here's the breakdown of the 2012 budget for the presidency. What's your opinion?

N356.72 million for new vehicles in the presidential fleet 5 Mercedes Benz 350 (semi plain/partial bullet proof) at N25 million each, 10 jeeps (assorted – Range Rover, Prado and Land Cruiser) at N10 million each, and accessories for these vehicles will cost N25 million

We the Association of Boyfriends, Bachelors, Fiancees and Husbands will like to inform our girlfriends, fiancees, married women that we've removed subsidy in all our expenses

No more 'Baby, can I take a cab?: pls take the next available bus and get here on time.
No more, I want to fix my hair: pls cut the hair, I love it wen you ar...e natural. All birthdays have been postponed till further notice.No more 'please pay for my BIS': Whatsapp is very effective and fast, use ur Sony Ericsson. No more paying of bride price, unless ur papa go collect post dated cheque until our refineries are repaired.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

ABUJA—Senate President, David Mark, yesterday, feared the general unrest in the country and the violent activities of the dreaded Boko Haram sect could throw the country into anarchy.

Mark in his New Year message to Senators, yesterday, after a close door session during which the nation’s security situation was discussed, specifically mentioned that the panic movement of Nigerians along ethnic and religious lines from one region to another on the ultimatum of Boko Haram could throw the country into anarchy.

Woah, good thing some of our leaders still have a grasp on reality.. #OccupyNigeria

Following Tuesday’s successful picketing of Nigeria House in New York by Nigerians... and their friends, Occupy Wall Street will make a solidarity march to the same premises tomorrow, January 11.

In a statement today, Occupy Wall Street explained that the date is the 10 year anniversary of the opening of Guantanamo Bay Prison. “This day is a somber recognition of previous repressive state measures that violate not only people on individual levels, but our international agreements on Universal Human Rights,” it said. “We will be protesting in solidarity with others all over the world.” It said its action at the Consulate-General of Nigeria will be in recognition of the mass protest that the Nigerian people have been undertaking since the government cut oil subsidies for citizens on New Year’s Day.

In fulfillment of an earlier agreement for an out-of-court settlement, the Borno
State government yesterday paid N100 million as compensation to the family of
the in-law of the late Boko Haram sect leader, Baba Fugu.

Meanwhile, four
suspected Boko Haram gunmen on motorcycle at the weekend attacked a tea shop in
Gazangi-Tashan Gandu area of Biu, in Borno State, killing three people, and
injuring five others.
The late Fugu was an in-law of the deceased Boko Haram leader, Mohammed
Yusuf.Fugu was killed by policemen in 2009 after he made himself available
at the Borno State Police Command, Maiduguri.

Presenting the cheque to
the Fugu family’s solicitor, Anayo Adibe, Governor Kashim Shettima said: “The
ceremony today at the Government House, is a solemn one and that my heart goes
to the family of the deceased Baba Fugu and others that lost their lives in the
sectarian crises that engulfed the state.”

You know, increase the price of every. At least, all countries on the road to development experienced one austerity measure or the other. D’you know at a point, it was illegal to smoke foreign cigarettes in South Korea? Ref: Ha Joon-Chang’s ‘The Bad Samaritans’. Anyways, deregulate the sector! Let the Chinese firms see profitability in our fuel prices and come... sink a refinery or two. Let our billionaires (the listed and unlisted ones) sink refineries two-a-piece. Let there be positive competition on the price of PMS, twenty three naira here...twenty five naira there. Then the government with the flush funds would build roads-seven-lane roads with railways in the middle. And people of other nations shall proclaim ‘How vain the Nigerians are, that they construct such wide, many-lane roads...’ That’s the big picture ba? I can picture Jona smiling. Well, it won’t work sire!

See, development for any laudable goal (even if na to make all of us enter heaven) should never be transferred wholly to the citizen’s shoulder. Then for what purpose does the government exist? Using the present minimum wage and transport prices, I constructed the monthly expenditure for a worker who lives in my part of town (Magodo) and works in Ikoyi. For the arithmetically challenged, Fear Not! This one’s quite pedestrian.

He has brought us hell
And set the country on fire
He promised us life
But his people now mourn
He vowed to take us higher
I think he's just another liar
We thought he had a vision
Lo he has an evil mission
The masses suffer
Because of his undemocratic decision
We gave him our votes
But now he abuses his power